Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease of the pulmonary interstitium that causes difficulty breathing and extreme fatigue, significantly compromising patients' quality of life. The condition causes the thickening and progressive scarring of lung tissue, leading to a gradual deterioration of respiratory function.
Interstitial lung diseases are considered rare, which contributes to the challenge of early diagnosis. Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis tend to be insidious, appearing gradually and frequently being confused with other, less serious conditions.
Due to the silent nature of the symptoms and the rarity of these diseases, diagnosis is often made late, when the disease is already at more advanced stages. This limits treatment options and worsens the prognosis of affected patients.
